Device for sifting flour and other powdered materials



April 3, 1934. T J, STAHL 1,953,369

DEVICE FOR SIFTING FLOUR AND OTHER POWDERED MATERIALS Filed Juney 30.1952 7?/05. LSTA/41. /N i/ff/v TOR J2 25 l BY A' TTORNE V5 Patented Apr.3, 1934 UNITE-B STATES PATENT OFFCE DEVICE FOR SIFTING FLOUR AND OTHERPOWDERED MATERIALS This invention relates to improvements in devices forsifting flour and other powdered materials, and the principal objects ofthisimprovement are: i

"i5, First, multiple sifting without the necessity of refilling; second,the elimination of waste in sifting by being fitted with covers to holdthe material while sifting; third, the nner separation of materialsifted caused by the double action of `ID the agitators having a gratingeffect on the material; fourth, a graduated container showingmeasurement before and after sifting; and ftlr, visibility of materialat all times during sifting operation.

Further objects will be apparent from the description hereinafter given.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had tothe following description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure l isa perspective view illustrating a sifter constructed in accordance withmy invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional View illustrating one of the covers for thecylinder of the sifter.

Figure 3 is a plan view illustrating the inner face of the cover andlooking in the direction indicated by the arrows on line 3 3 of Figure2.

Figure 4 is a sectional View taken on the line 4 4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 4.

The invention consists of a graduated cylinder fitted with a screen, twoagitators, crank shaft, and visible covers.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a graduated cylinder, called thecontainer, with an inverted bead at each end (16) and seven outwardbeads (12) marked for cup measurement, fitted with a handle (11), crankshaft (18) and buttons 1 40 (19); Figure 2 is the cover, used at bothends (12), agitators (21 and 23) are placed above and below the screen(28), the upper agitator carries a stirrup (20) at each of two sides anda crank shaft (18) equipped with two button handles (19) Figure 5 showsa cross section of the entire i center assembly held in place by a metalfastener (25) and a compensating springV (26) with a baffle cone at eachend of the fastener (27 and 3G) for deiiecting the material sifted.

In the operation of the ordinary sifter the agitator moves in but onedirection across the screen carrying the lumps of material being siftedto the outer edge of the screen; the material is also permitted to dropstraight through the sifter, causing a considerable amount of dust andmuss, and is intended for but a right hand operator; whereas, in theoperation of this device the cylinder is lled with our or other powderedmaterial to the desired measurement, with or without 'the use of thecovers, and is held in one hand by the handle (11) and the crank shaft(18) is -70 revolved with the other hand. This causes the agitators (21and 23) to move back and forth across the screen (28) in a clockwise andcounter clockwise motion, one pushing and the other pulling the materialthrough the screen, which action has a grating effect upon any lumps inthe material being sifted. When multiple sifting is desired the covers,Figures 2 and 3, are placed in position at each end of the cylinder, andafter each sifting the cylinder is turned over and siftl ing continuedwith opposite crank shaft handle without formality of any change in themechanism. VThe crankshaft handles (19) are fitted on two sides and thuspermit operation by either a right or left handed operator; being fittedwith covers the material being sifted cannot drop out, this eliminatingthe ordinary dust and muss.

Other features carried in this device are that of the compensatingspring (26) which holds the agitators 21 and 2s) against the screen 28)90 with a tension and does not permit the screen to become bent or outof shape, and the agitators will not lift off the screen and therebyallow the material being sifted to pass under the agitators, as is thecase in ordinary sifters. This action is positive.

Due to the construction of the agitators (21 and 23), same having foursections each consisting of two fingers, or eight fingers on eachagitator, each mesh `in the screen (28) is passed over and under sixtimes at each revolution of the crank-V shaft (18), causing a greateragitation of material being sifted, and each finger being shaped asillustrated in Figure 4, agitators (21 and 23) 105 have a greater lengthfrom center to outer edge than if they were a straight finger, cover agreater part of the screen (28), thereby moving the material sifted agreater distance across the screen (28). The baiiie cones (27 and 30)deflect ,110

the material from the center, same being fastened to and moved with theagitators.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A sifter comprising a cylinder, a handle on the cylinder, a screen inthe cylinder, connected agitator frames engaging opposite faces of thescreen, stirrups on one of the frames, and a shaft journaled to oppositewalls of the cylinder and having cranks extending through the stirrupsand provided with angularly related ends to provide handles arrangedexteriorly of the cylinder for rotating the shaft to oscillate theagitator frames over the screen. l

2. A sifter comprising a cylinder, a screen in the cylinder, yieldablyconnectedagitator frames engaging opposite faces of the screen, stirrupsintegral with opposite ends of one of the frames, and a shaft journaledto opposite Walls of the cylinder and having cranks extending throughthe stirrups and provided with angularly related ends -iorming handlesarranged exteriorly of the cylinder to permit rotation of the shaft foroscillating the agitator frames over the screen.

posite faces of the screen, yieldable means connecting the frames andhaving conical shaped portions disposed over the opposite faces of thescreen, stirrups on one of the frames, and a shaft journaled to oppositeWalls of the cylinder and having cranks extending through the stirrupsand provided with angularly arranged ends having handles arrangedexteriorly of the cylinder to permit rotation of the shaft to oscillatethe frames over the screen.

4. A sifter comprising a cylinder, a screen in the cylinder, agitatorframes arranged over opposite faces of the screen, yieldable meansconnecting the frames to urge the latter in engagement with the faces ofthe screen and having conical-shaped portions arranged centrally of thescreen, one of said frames having its ends bent to form loop-shapedelements extending at right angles to said last-named frame and awayfrom the screen, and a shaft journaled in opposite walls of the cylinderand having cranks extending through said elements and provided withangularly related ends forming handles arranged exteriorly of thecylinder to permit the shaft to be rotated for oscillating the framesover the screen.

THOMAS J. STAHL.

